This Sunday Dallas will start it’s post Tony Romo era of the season and Jon Kitna will take the helm for Dallas. Kitna, who is in his 14th season in the NFL, will lead what is probably the most talented team he has started for in his career. So will that be enough for win? Even with a win, what will Kitna be able to do for the rest of the season? Since, even when Romo is ready to play later this season, will it be worth bringing him back in to play?

Dallas should win this game. However, after watching the way they have played uninspired all season long, it’s far from a lock even at home. As for the rest of the season, the Cowboys have a schedule for the next 8 weeks consisting of Green Bay, New York Giants, Detroit, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Washington and Arizona. Not the most promising of schedules. After that schedule, the Cowboys will likely be out of contention and Romo returning would not be worth the risk.

This is not to completely condemn Kitna, but Kitna is not a game changing quarterback. He is, at best, a game manager. Now that may come in handy, and may be just what the Cowboys need. But facing teams like the Packers, Giants, Saints, Colts, and what will probably be the Michael Vick led Eagles, the Cowboys will need great play at the quarterback spot. Especially with the shaky defense the Cowboys have displayed. Kitna has had time to get to know the defense, but has spend 2 years on the bench with no on the field regular season action, so his running of the offense will be limited.

This will be coupled with the bad play calling by Jason Garrett, who seems to know how to take his best players out of the game himself so that opposing defenses don’t have to worry about it. Like it or not, Garrett has been the root cause of the bad offense in Dallas. His inability to modify his offense to the tempo of the game leaves the offense predictable and easily exploited. Wade Phillips doesn’t get involved in the offense, as former Cowboy Patrick Crayton pointed out, and so Garrett is not regulated when he is blowing the game. It’s enough to make you bang your head against the wall. Jerry will have to cut his loses here at the end of the season, and though he may not make the change until the season is over, both Phillips and Garrett should both be gone.

Dallas will be facing another stumbling franchise in the Jaguars, though they’ve managed 3 wins. The Cowboys will need to stop Maurice Jones-Drew if they want to have any chance to win this week. They should look to recover, defensively, from the 200 yard performance they allowed last Monday. If they can stop the run game, Jacksonville is terrible passing the ball which should be a boon for a secondary that is showing flashes of their old exploitable ways.

With Kitna under center, the Boys will likely lean on the run game and Felix Jones. The Jaguars rank 25 against the run and 30th overall. They surrender 29 points a game. The game should be ripe for the picking for the Cowboys. It’s a moot point though, and it’s a little late for a win to turn around the season.